


all the love under the mistletoe

by zero_miles



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (not in the way you're thinking though), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, Bad Matchmaking, Christmas Party, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, everyone loves Taeyong and wants him to be as happy as they are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 06:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17116085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zero_miles/pseuds/zero_miles
Summary: Donghyuck gasps as a brilliant idea comes to him. “Nana,” he says.Jaemin’s eyes are wide, too. “Hyuck.”“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”(or: Donghyuck thinks his brother must be lonely and maybe a little sad because he's the only person he knows who's single at Christmastime. That's alright though, because he and Jaemin have a plan.)





	1. all the love under the mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note: there are several (okay, five) background pairings, but I only tagged the two that are super relevant to the fic. I know how disappointing it is to think a tagged ship is going to play a huge role, only to find out that they're barely mentioned!

“Don’t go,” Donghyuck whines, rolling onto his back to gaze imploringly up at Jeno.

Jeno rolls his eyes as he tosses a balled-up t-shirt into his mostly empty suitcase. “I’m leaving for like three days, babe,” he says fondly. But he’s wrong, he’s leaving for _four_ days. Donghyuck would know.

“First Mark abandons me for stupid cold Canada, and now you’re leaving me for – where does your grandma live, again? Missouri?”

“Minnesota,” Jeno corrects, his lips twitching.

“You’re leaving me for stupid cold Minnesota,” Donghyuck cries, as dramatic as he can manage. Which is very dramatic, thank you very much, he’s had nineteen years of experience so far.

Jeno sits down next to Donghyuck on the bed and doesn’t even flinch whenever Donghyuck immediately shifts so he can drop his head onto Jeno’s thighs. He runs his fingers though Donghyuck’s hair, and Donghyuck closes his eyes with a contented hum. “Keep doing that.”

Jeno chuckles. “Of course, your majesty,” he says, then falls silent. It hadn’t taken long for Jeno to realize that Donghyuck’s not good at quiet whenever something’s on his mind, and now whenever he wants Donghyuck to talk, he’ll just wait him out. Donghyuck would think that maybe Taeyong told him about it, but he’d started doing that way before Taeyong’d ever met Jeno as anything other than Doyoung’s baby cousin.

Finally, Donghyuck says quietly, “I know you promised your mom you’d go this weekend in the summer, so you have to go. I’m just going to miss you. When was the last time we went four days without seeing each other?”

“August,” Jeno answers.

“Yeah. August.” August had been when Donghyuck had moved to the city to start his sophomore year of college, having decided to transfer because he missed his brother and Mark too much going to a school out of state. Taeyong had invited his friends over after Donghyuck had gotten settled into their new apartment, and Doyoung had brought his cousin along after learning from Taeyong that they were the same age and attending the same university. The rest, as they say, had been history; Donghyuck hadn’t believed in love at first sight being a real thing until he’d met Jeno.

“I’ll be here first thing Tuesday morning,” Jeno promises. “It’ll be fine. You’ll see Jaemin and Renjun on Sunday like normal, and you can either go out with them or Taeyong on Friday and Saturday or you can stay home and have the apartment to yourself. You like having the apartment to yourself.”

That’s true. Donghyuck _does_ like having the apartment to himself, even if it means that Jeno’s not around. He loves his brother, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to just leave his cereal bowl or a coffee cup in the sink for a while. “I’m just being a baby about this,” he says, just to see Jeno’s eyes crinkle as he smiles.

“My baby,” Jeno agrees, and Donghyuck’s heart soars.

 

***

 

Much like Jeno had predicted, Taeyong invites Donghyuck out on Friday night, and even offers to buy him dinner unprompted. Taeyong is rarely willing to go to a restaurant, instead choosing to cook at home and save money like the cheapskate he is, so Donghyuck jumps at the opportunity. He would have anyway, even if Taeyong had just said they were going to Johnny and Taeil’s or something, but this is even _better_.

Even still, though, Donghyuck’s sure that they’re meeting up with Taeyong’s friends somewhere up until the moment that Taeyong turns into a super expensive Italian restaurant. “Hey, why are we here?”

“We’re celebrating,” Taeyong says.

“Celebrating what?”

“You!” Taeyong says, a little too cheerfully. “You showed me your grades, kid. You deserve this.”

“I thought we were going to meet up with your friends somewhere,” Donghyuck shrugs, but he doesn’t even mind. If Taeyong wants to take him to a super nice restaurant and pay for it all, he’s not going to complain one bit.

“I thought about seeing who was free tonight, but I decided against it,” Taeyong says, shrugging. “I’ll see them tomorrow, it’s fine.”

“Oh,” Donghyuck says, closing the door of the car carefully so that Taeyong won’t have his head. “Makes sense.”

But – Taeyong doesn’t see his friends Saturday night. Instead, he crashes Donghyuck’s “Netflix and blanket fort” session, crawling in next to him to sit on the massive pile of blankets Donghyuck had dragged into the living room.

“I didn’t realize you were sticking around,” Donghyuck says. If he had, he definitely wouldn’t have stolen the comforter off of Taeyong’s bed to serve as the roof of his blanket fort.

“I can’t spend some one on one time with my baby brother?” Taeyong asks.

“We did last night,” Donghyuck says, but backtracks quickly at the hurt look that passes across Taeyong’s face. “I just wasn’t expecting it, you said last night you’d see your friends tonight.”

Taeyong shakes his head. “I said I’d see them today, and I did, I had lunch with Johnny while your lazy ass was still asleep.”

Donghyuck grins. He slept in until 2 o’clock this afternoon, and he has _zero_ regrets. “Huh,” he says. “Everyone’s busy tonight? Really?”

“Christmas parties, stuff like that, you know how it is this time of year,” Taeyong says. Except this is Donghyuck’s big brother, and he’s always been able to read him like a really easy book, so he can tell that Taeyong’s lying through his teeth. About what, though? That’s what Donghyuck can’t figure out. “Besides, it actually is nice to spend some time with just you here at the apartment. Jeno’s here so much I keep forgetting he doesn’t actually live here.”

“Yeah, but you don’t mind,” Donghyuck says. He’ll let Taeyong change the subject for now, but he’s not going to forget about this. It’s a mystery, and he’s always loved mysteries.

 

***

 

Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun have had a long standing tradition of meeting up at the little café close to campus owned by Renjun’s brother and his boyfriends for an early lunch every Sunday, one that Donghyuck was brought in on after the first few weeks of the past semester. He doesn’t have the same bond with them as Jeno does, obviously, because Jeno and Jaemin have been friends ever since they were babies and Renjun’s known them both for five years now or something like that, but they’re close enough now that Donghyuck doesn’t even consider skipping out on it when Jeno’s not around. He’s the first one there, but that’s no surprise. Jaemin and Renjun are always late.

“Hi, Duckie,” Ten says from behind the counter when Donghyuck walks in. He’s wearing reindeer antlers that Donghyuck’s willing to bet that Sicheng talked him into. No one seems to be able to say no to him for some reason, not even Renjun. “You look a little sad today.”

“Jeno’s at his grandma’s. In _Michigan_ ,” Donghyuck answers.

“Ah,” Ten says knowingly. “So not just sad, then. Are you nervous because you think it might be awkward without Jeno today?”

Donghyuck pouts. “Stop being a mind reader. You know that freaks me out.”

Ten grins. “Never,” he says, reaching out to mess up Donghyuck’s hair. “Trust me, it’ll be fine. Go sit down, someone will bring you your drink when Jaemin and Renjunnie get here.”

That’s the other reason why they meet up here – they never get charged. Unless you count the time that Jaemin lost some sort of bet against Kun and had to pay for his death brew for the entire month of October, but Donghyuck doesn’t since it didn’t hurt his wallet.

Donghyuck hasn’t even shrugged off his coat yet when his phone lights up with a text. He expects it to be Renjun, telling him that he and Jaemin will be even later than normal, so he’s surprised to see a text from Johnny.

_How’s Tyong doing today?_

_Fine, why?_ Donghyuck sends back.

_He said he was sick yesterday_ , Johnny answers.

Donghyuck frowns. _He didn’t seem like he was._

_He probably just didn’t want you to worry._

While Johnny’s right, Taeyong usually does try to convince Donghyuck that he’s not sick whenever he is, there’s no way he was sick last night. A sick person wouldn’t have helped Donghyuck demolish an entire package of chocolate Oreos while drinking wine coolers and watching romantic comedies like that. No, if Taeyong was sick, he would have holed himself up in his room all night while claiming he was “just tired.”

Donghyuck’s still frowning at his phone when Jaemin drops down into a chair across the table from him. “Don’t pout, Jeno will be back in less than forty-eight hours,” he says, instead of _hi_ like a normal person.

“I know, it’s not that,” Donghyuck says, looking up. At Jaemin’s raised eyebrow, he sighs and adds, “Okay, not just that. Where’s Renjun?”

“Sicheng needed him in the kitchen for a minute,” Jaemin answers, propping his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hands. “So if you aren’t just pining away for my best friend, what’s wrong?”

“My brother’s acting weird,” Donghyuck says, even as his phone lights up with another text from Johnny.

“Ooh,” Jaemin says, leaning forward. “Tell me more.”

Donghyuck narrows his eyes. “Is this you mocking me, or do you actually want to know?” With Jaemin, you can never be too sure. With his friends, it’s usually genuine, but Donghyuck can’t quite tell the difference yet the way Jeno can.

Jaemin gasps and leans back to clutch at his chest. “I’m wounded. Of course I actually want to know,” he says.

“Maybe I won’t tell you,” Donghyuck says, just to see Jaemin’s expression. He doesn’t disappoint, either, immediately looking like Donghyuck mortally wounded him by potentially withholding gossip.

“Oh my god, stop it,” Renjun says, appearing out of nowhere with a tray in his hands. “You’re both just as bad as the other.”

Jaemin turns to look at Renjun and pouts. “Are not.”

“We kind of are,” Donghyuck says. He might be the most dramatic person he knows, and he’s totally fine with that, but Jaemin is a close second. Jeno says they’ve both made the other even more dramatic than they used to be, which is probably true. Jeno’s not really one to exaggerate.

Jaemin shrugs at that. “Okay, fine. Now tell me why you think Taeyong’s acting weird,” he pleads, dragging out the last syllable.

Renjun sets the tray down on the table and sits in the chair next to Jaemin. “Your brother’s being weird?” he asks Donghyuck.

“Yeah,” Donghyuck answers, pressing the home button on his phone so he can read Johnny’s last text. _Taeil-ie and I are gonna stop by your place, bring him some soup! Are you home yet?_ “Maybe,” he amends. “All I know is that he goes out with his friends like every weekend, right? But he didn’t at all this weekend. He took me out for dinner Friday, which was awesome, and yesterday he told me all of his friends were busy but I just got a text from Johnny asking if Taeyong was okay because he told them he was sick yesterday when he definitely wasn’t.”

“Breathe,” Jaemin says, looking alarmed.

“Do we know Johnny?” Renjun asks. “What?” he adds, looking defensive when Donghyuck – and Jaemin! – turn to glare at him.

“Way to miss the point, babe,” Jaemin tells him. “But we do, he’s the tall guy that Jeno’s cousin _isn’t_ dating, remember?” He sounds a little dreamy when he says that last part, but like – Johnny’s basically another big brother to Donghyuck at this point along with Jaehyun, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get it.

“Oh,” Renjun answers, sounding a little dreamy himself. Jeno would totally be laughing at them if he was here, Donghyuck thinks.

“Yeah,” Jaemin says, smirking. “But Hyuck, it’s obvious.”

Donghyuck scrunches his nose. “Is it?”

“Uh, _yeah_. He’s probably just tired of third wheeling his friends. Or fourth wheeling them,” Jaemin laughs, the smirk fading into a knowing smile. “Being single this time of year when everyone else isn’t sucks.”

Almost as if to prove Jaemin’s point, the music in the café switches from some instrumental Christmas song to My Only Wish (This Year), and the smile on Jaemin’s face grows even wider.

Renjun groans. “I told Sicheng not to let Ten pick the Christmas playlist this year,” he says, burying his head in his hands.

“Britney is a queen, how dare you,” Donghyuck says at the same time Jaemin says, “Excuse _you_.”

“Whatever,” Renjun says, not lifting his head. “But also, Nana, I love you but you’re talking out of your ass right now.”

“As much as I hate to agree with someone who just disrespected Queen Britney, he’s not wrong,” Donghyuck says, begrudgingly. “Haven’t you guys been together since you were like fifteen? That means you’ve literally never been single at Christmas when you were old enough for it to mean something.”

Jaemin snorts and rolls his eyes. “Okay, I haven’t been, but my brother has. Is. And he won’t shut up about it. He spends his days now whining about being a fourth wheel and how he has no one to take cute Christmas pics with or to kiss under the mistletoe…”

Donghyuck gasps as a brilliant idea comes to him. “Nana,” he says.

Jaemin’s eyes are wide, too. “Hyuck.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Guys,” Renjun says warily.

“That we should set Yuta up with Taeyong?”

 “No,” Renjun says.

“Yes,” Donghyuck says, ignoring him. Not that he’s ever had a truly bad idea, but this is definitely the best one he’s ever had. If Jaemin had the same idea at the same time, it seriously can’t be anything but a great one. “They would be perfect for each other.”

“Or they would murder each other,” Renjun interjects.

Jaemin rolls his eyes again. “You can never rule out murder, I’ll give you that,” he says, “but that won’t happen as long as we don’t make it obvious that we’re trying to set them up. Yuta might kill him then out of spite.”

Renjun gives Donghyuck a pointed look. “You still have time to back out of this idea,” he warns.

“Why would I?” Donghyuck asks gleefully. “This might be the best idea I’ve ever had.”

 

***

 

“This is the worst idea you’ve ever had,” Mark says, voice staticky due to the distance between them, when Donghyuck fills him in on his and Jaemin’s master plan the next day. “Why didn’t Jeno stop you guys? Renjun? I know them, Duckie, they’re too reasonable to allow something like this to be planned right under their noses.”

“I need everyone to stop reminding me that Jeno’s in Mississippi,” Donghyuck whines. “I’m miserable without him.”

Mark chuckles. “I see how it is, now that you have a boyfriend I’m chopped liver,” he teases. “I also definitely know he’s not in Mississippi, Hyuck.”

“Semantics,” Donghyuck says, waving a hand dismissively even though Mark can’t see him since the internet connection at Mark’s uncle’s house isn’t stable enough for Facetime or something. “Also, you abandon me every winter. I’m used to your betrayal by now.”

“Ouch,” Mark says dryly. “But okay, why didn’t Renjun stop it?”

“He tried,” Donghyuck admits.

He had. He’d argued with Donghyuck and Jaemin for about five more minutes about what a terrible idea it would be to try to play matchmaker with two very different people before giving up and retreating into the kitchen of the café to whine at Sicheng and Kun. He’d probably been hoping that one of them would try to help him talk Donghyuck and Jaemin out of it, but instead Ten had ended up coming over to their table to tell them that they were doing God’s work and to keep doing what they were doing if it meant there was a chance that Yuta would stop whining about not having a significant other for a while.

Renjun had come back over to the table and sulked after that.

“Taeyong will kill you if he figures out you’re trying to interfere in his love life like that,” Mark points out.

“He’ll never find out,” Donghyuck says confidently. “I’m not going to tell him I’m trying to set him up, Markie. We’re going to accidentally introduce them sometime this week and watch the sparks fly.”

“Death. Dismemberment. Murder,” Mark says, in a deep voice, and Donghyuck can’t keep himself from giggling. Mark likes to pretend he’s all serious and stuff, but he’s the silliest person Donghyuck’s ever known. 

“I’m a bad bitch, he can’t kill me,” Donghyuck sings, “and besides, Yongie would never.” Taeyong might look intimidating to people who don’t know him, but he’s like the softest person Donghyuck’s ever met. He couldn’t kill anyone, let alone his baby brother, probably.

Mark hums. “I don’t know if I’m glad I’m on the other side of the continent or if I’m disappointed that I’m too far away to watch this trainwreck unfold in front of my eyes.”

“Have a little faith in me,” Donghyuck says. “I just want Taeyong to be happy too.”

“I know,” Mark says, and it’s soft enough that Donghyuck knows that Mark’s trying to be soothing, trying to keep Donghyuck from getting worked up. “And I do. Have faith in you.”

Donghyuck grins. “Good. So,” he says, deliberately changing the subject, “have you talked to Lucas – I mean, _Yukhei_ , since you left?”

Mark’s pained noise is like music to his ears.

 

***

 

Someone’s pushing gently at Donghyuck’s shoulder. He whines and tries to burrow deeper into his blankets; he hasn’t opened his eyes, but he just _knows_ it’s too early for him to be awake yet. Mostly because he’s got an alarm set for earlier than he should ever have to set an alarm over the winter break so he can catch Taeyong before he leaves for work, but still.

“Babe,” a voice that sounds like Jeno to Donghyuck’s sleep-clouded mind says. “Babe, you need to scoot over.” The hand returns, sliding from his shoulder down his back to poke at his sides. Donghyuck’s eyes fly open, and he’s ready to fight – ready to fight, that is, until he sees Jeno kneeling on the edge of the bed. His hair’s weirdly flat on one side, and he looks exhausted, but it’s definitely Jeno, and Donghyuck’s so happy to see him that he nearly tears up.

“You’re back,” Donghyuck says, reaching up to touch the side of Jeno’s face.

Jeno nods as he lifts up the corner of the blanket Donghyuck had let go of in order to touch him. “Yeah. We left the airport about half an hour ago, but I told my mom I was going home with Doyoung and convinced him to bring me here,” he says, smiling a little dopily. He climbs under the blanket and Donghyuck reaches for him immediately, sighing happily when Jeno shifts so that he’s in Donghyuck’s arms. He knows from past experience he’ll likely wake up with Jeno practically smothering him, like usual when he spends the night, but that’s something for morning Donghyuck to deal with.

“I’d kiss you, but my breath is probably gross,” Donghyuck yawns, already feeling his eyes slipping closed again.

“You can kiss me in the morning,” Jeno says, and his lips against Donghyuck’s cheek is the last thing he registers before he drifts back off to sleep.

 

***

 

Taeyong doesn’t look surprised to see Jeno trailing after Donghyuck into the kitchen the next morning. He sounds almost resigned, even, as he tells them good morning and asks how Jeno’s trip was.

“It was good, even if it’s still weird to celebrate Christmas almost two weeks early,” Jeno says as Donghyuck peeks into the oven, to see if Taeyong had made enough breakfast for them to have as well. Sure enough, there’s a stack of waffles resting on a cookie sheet, and Donghyuck mentally cheers.

“That’s the grandma you share with Doyoung, right?” Taeyong asks him. “Careful,” he adds, not even turning around, as Donghyuck reaches up onto his tiptoes to try and reach the plates on the top shelf. Johnny had put them there, months ago when they’d first moved in, and neither of them have bothered moving them yet out of pure stubbornness. They’ve broken three plates since then, but Donghyuck thinks it’s a matter of pride for Taeyong at this point to not tell Johnny that he’d put the plates too high.

“Yep, which is awesome because no one on that side of the family even cares about me having a boyfriend thanks to him having two,” Jeno says, sounding amused. “Babe, do you need me to get those?” he asks Donghyuck worriedly.

Donghyuck heaves out a sigh of relief as he drops back onto the soles of his feet, two plates in hand. “Got it!” he says. “Thanks for making breakfast, Yongie,” he adds. “How did you know Jeno was here?”

Taeyong arches an eyebrow at him. “Doyoung warned me that he was coming. I left the door unlocked for him and everything.”

“Makes sense,” Donghyuck says sheepishly.

“I’m more concerned about why you’re up at seven thirty in the morning, if I’m being honest,” Taeyong continues, fixing Donghyuck with a look so suspicious it takes everything he has in him to not look away.

“I wanted to see if you were busy today,” Donghyuck says.

The look Taeyong gives him at that is so incredulous he nearly laughs in Taeyong’s face. “Work, Hyuck,” he says.

“No, at lunch!” Donghyuck says, probably too quick because Taeyong’s back to looking suspicious. “I figured we could meet up for lunch somewhere. Like at Vision!”

Taeyong definitely knows something’s up. “That café you guys go to every Sunday?” he asks.

“You’ll love their lunch menu,” Donghyuck says, crossing his fingers behind his back. “I thought we could go there today since Jeno didn’t get to go Sunday, and you still haven’t been yet. I think Jaemin and Renjun are busy, and you know Mark’s in Vancouver,” he adds, lying through his _teeth_.

Thank God Jeno is used to Donghyuck’s brand of bullshit by now, because he backs him up. “I really missed Kun’s pineapple buns,” he says seriously.

Taeyong visibly falters, probably because no adult Donghyuck has encountered in the last five or six months seems to think Jeno’s capable to anything but telling the truth one hundred percent of the time. “Um. Sure, I guess,” he says. “But you have to be on time, Hyuck, you know I only get an hour for lunch and I have no idea how close it is to my office.”

“We will, I promise!” Donghyuck says quickly. Now that Taeyong’s agreed, he can’t risk him backing out. Taeyong glances at Jeno like he’s still suspicious of Donghyuck or something (he has a right to be, but still, rude), who nods.

Taeyong sighs. “I have to go. I’ll see you kids at lunch, I guess. Remember, my break is at eleven thirty,” he warns.

Donghyuck nods quickly. “Yes, yes, I know. Have a good day, see you in a couple hours!”

Taeyong gets up and leaves the kitchen then, but not before giving Donghyuck one last suspicious look. Donghyuck pulls the waffles out of the oven and divides them up onto the two plates until he hears the front door close behind Taeyong before turning and grinning sheepishly at Jeno.

Jeno rubs a hand over his face. “What’s going on?” he asks, sitting down at the table.

“I’m glad you asked,” Donghyuck says, setting one of the plates down in front of him, and proceeds to explain. He even includes how Mark had told him last night that it was the worst idea ever, ending with, “I bet you probably agree with him and Renjun.”

Jeno taps his fork against his lower lip and hums thoughtfully. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea, but I don’t know if it’s a bad one either,” he admits. “It’s actually pretty weird that Taeyong and Yuta haven’t met yet, since they both know Doyoung and Yuta’s a people person.”

Donghyuck snorts at that. “That’s why,” he tells Jeno, “Taeyong isn’t. At all. He’s an introvert who’s been adopted by extroverts his entire life and tries to avoid meeting new people. Why do you think he hasn’t even been to Vision yet? It’s like ten minutes away from his office if he walks there.”

“Huh,” Jeno says. “Alright. Well, there’s no harm in introducing them. I think you and Jaemin might have your hopes a little high, especially since we’ll be there too –”

“Nope,” Donghyuck says, gesturing with his own fork. There’s still syrup clinging to it, so he accidentally sends droplets of syrup flying throughout the kitchen, which, fuck. He’s gonna have to find that and clean it up before it dries and Taeyong finds it, he’d probably blow a gasket if he found syrup all over his kitchen. “We’re gonna fake an emergency and leave after they’re introduced. You know, so it’s like a date for them!”

Jeno grimaces. “I’m reconsidering whether or not this is a good idea.”

“Too late!” Donghyuck shouts and blows a kiss at him. He’s just being a smart ass at this point honestly, but the way Jeno blushes and smiles before ducking his head down because he’s embarrassed makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside. He hasn’t said it yet, because he wants to wait for the perfect time, but – Donghyuck loves him. So, so much.

 

***

 

Taeyong’s waiting for them outside of Vision, which is definitely surprising considering that Donghyuck had made sure that he and Jeno would get there at like 11:35 at the latest – which they had, a quick glance at Jeno’s watch tells him it’s _maybe_ a minute past 11:30.

“I snuck out early, I wanted to make sure I got here on time,” Taeyong explains.

This throws Donghyuck’s carefully crafted plans out of whack a little, but it’s fine. Since Jaemin’s supposed to arrive with Yuta in about fifteen minutes, this means they’ll already be sitting down at a table when they get here. Taeyong might even have food in front of him by that point, which means he’ll be in a much more cooperative mood, too. This is better, actually, Donghyuck thinks as Jeno leads them inside.

Sicheng’s behind the counter today, wearing an elf hat – and so is Renjun. Also wearing an elf hat, which is adorable and Donghyuck only resists the urge to take a picture because he knows Renjun would jump right over that counter to strangle him.

“I thought you said Renjun was busy,” Taeyong says, whirling around to look at Donghyuck.

“Why are you acting so suspicious? We just wanted to have lunch with my big brother today,” Donghyuck whines. He hears Renjun make a noise that sounds like he tried to cover up a laugh, but luckily Taeyong’s back is to the counter now so he probably thinks it’s a cough or something. “Besides, Renjun is busy. He’s working, see? His brother is one of the owners of this place.”

“Oh,” Taeyong mumbles, turning bright red. “Sorry, Hyuck.”

Renjun’s disappeared whenever Taeyong moves so Donghyuck can see the counter again, probably to go laugh his ass off in the kitchen, but Sicheng is still there smiling serenely at them.

“Welcome,” he says to Taeyong, “you must be Taeyong. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from both the kids and from Jaehyun.”

“You know Jaehyun?” Taeyong asks interestedly, moving towards the counter.

“I’m not a kid!” Renjun shouts from the kitchen. Apparently he’s still close enough to hear whatever conversation’s going on at the counter, the little sneak. Donghyuck has no doubt that he’ll be back by the time Jaemin and Yuta arrive.

Jeno obviously agrees, because he leans down to whisper “I think Renjunnie is more interested in this than he’s let on,” into Donghyuck’s ear. Taeyong’s laughing at the counter now, looking relaxed and happy, and Donghyuck just has a really good feeling.

But then Jaemin arrives ten minutes later like he’s supposed to – alone. He’s scowling and barely acknowledges Sicheng’s wave before storming over to the table where Donghyuck and Jeno are sitting with Taeyong.

“Jaemin,” Taeyong says, sounding a little confused but a little happy. “They told me you were busy today.”

“Change of plans,” Jaemin says darkly, and Donghyuck winces. “Hyuck told me you guys were stopping by though, so I thought I’d come say hi and wait for Renjun to get off work.”

Jaemin sits down with them, at Taeyong’s urging (which is why Donghyuck had been so confident in this working – Taeyong might not go out of his way to meet new people, but he’s friendly and engaging when he does! Especially if those new people have mutual friends!) but he’s…twitchy. There’s no other word for it. He keeps looking back at the door, then down at his lap, and like jiggling his knee rapidly enough that the table shakes. He doesn’t seem to relax until Taeyong tells them he has to go back to work, and literally sighs and drops his head onto the table once Taeyong’s left them.

“What happened?” Donghyuck hisses.

Jeno shushes him. “Wait, Taeyong’s still here, he’s talking to Sicheng and Ten, I think Sicheng’s introducing them,” he whispers. They’re silent for a minute, before Jeno nods. Taeyong must have left, then.

“Yuta bailed on me,” Jaemin says, sitting up and pouting. “I guess one of his friends texted him and said they had something they desperately needed his help with so could he please meet them for lunch during their break, and there was no way he was gonna say no to that.”

“No,” Donghyuck cries. “But this was perfect. Taeyong was in such a good mood today! He wouldn’t have freaked out even when he realized it was a setup!”

“I know,” Jaemin agrees. “And Yuta felt bad too, he offered to come by here after he was done to hang out with me and I said yes, but Taeyong’s already gone.”

“And there’s no way he’s coming back alone after work,” Donghyuck says glumly. “Damn it.”

Jeno rubs Donghyuck’s back soothingly. “Hey, it’s not all bad. Taeyong seemed to like Sicheng, maybe they’ll become friends and he’ll eventually meet Yuta through him.”

“But then they’ll lose the magic of meeting their true love at Christmas time,” Jaemin retorts.

Jeno makes a strangled noise, and when Donghyuck glances up at him his mouth is literally hanging open. “Okay,” he says. “Well. You still have two weeks?” he says weakly.

“We still have two weeks,” Jaemin echoes, nodding.

“And worst case scenario, you bring Yuta with you to the Christmas party we’re having at our apartment the Saturday before Christmas, and we’ll introduce them that way,” Donghyuck adds.

Hopefully, Yuta will be there because Taeyong invited him, but having a backup plan to the backup plan is never a bad idea. Right?

 

***

 

Taeyong’s in a startlingly good mood for the rest of the week. He makes cookies on both Wednesday and Thursday, and it’s not stress baking; Donghyuck can tell, because not only is he completely relaxed while doing so, he also _sings_ while he’s baking. And cleaning. And showering, even.

“Is that…Taeyong in the background?” Mark asks warily on Thursday night during his and Donghyuck’s nightly phone call.

“Yep.”

“Is he singing All I Want For Christmas Is You?” Mark asks, sounding slightly nervous.

“Yep,” Donghyuck repeats.

“I thought your plan failed.”

“Excuse you, we had a temporary setback,” Donghyuck scoffs. “But yeah. That’s what’s weird. If it was just today I’d think it was stuck in his head or something, but he was singing it yesterday too. Shouldn’t you be the one singing his song all the time?”

Mark curses at him, and Donghyuck doesn’t have to see his face to know that he’s bright red. “Fuck off. I’m biding my time.”

“Sure you are,” Donghyuck says patronizingly. “How’s Lucas doing, by the way? I’m sure you’ve talked to him even more than you have me since you left.”

“He’s been on a plane all day,” Mark says, “but don’t change the subject, we’re talking about your brother here. Maybe Taeyong met someone on his own? Without anyone trying to interfere with his love life?”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Sounds fake, but okay.”

“Didn’t you tell me to have faith in you?” Mark asks. “Well, maybe you should have faith in Taeyong, too. You never know.”

“Maybe,” Donghyuck allows.

Mark makes a pleased sounding noise. “Alright. So like I was saying about my cousins…”

 

***

 

Donghyuck gets woken up on Saturday morning by a loud crashing noise. He jolts awake, nearly falling out of bed in the process; once he’s managed to calm down his thundering heart, he tiptoes into the kitchen to see what’s going on.

Taeyong’s sweeping up the remnants of another broken plate, muttering to himself under his breath. The line of his shoulders is tense, and Donghyuck feels his heart sink. “Yongie?” he says gently.

Taeyong jumps, dropping the broom, before he turns to face Donghyuck. He has gray smudges under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept well the night before. “Duckie,” he says. “I dropped a plate.”

“I see,” Donghyuck says, stepping towards him and stopping just shy of the pile of ceramic shards. “Are you okay?”

Taeyong shrugs.

“I can clean this up if you want to go back to bed,” Donghyuck offers. “Or you can go sit on the couch and I’ll be there in a minute and you can tell me what’s wrong?” he says instead when Taeyong grimaces. At that, Taeyong nods silently and shuffles out of the kitchen, taking care to avoid the debris on the ground.

Donghyuck makes them each a cup of hot chocolate before he goes into the living room, where Taeyong has wrapped himself in one of the blankets he keeps on the back of the couch. He looks a little like a human burrito, and it would be a cute sight if it wasn’t also the most obvious sign yet that something’s bugging Taeyong. Donghyuck sets the two mugs down on the coffee table before sitting down on the couch himself, directly on top of Taeyong’s feet.

“I didn’t hear you come home last night,” Donghyuck starts. He’d gone to bed early though, shortly after Jeno had gone home around ten o’clock, so it’s not unusual that he didn’t hear Taeyong come in.

“Got home around midnight,” Taeyong says, dropping his head onto Donghyuck’s shoulder. “I got in an argument with Johnny and Jaehyun.”

“Both of them?” Donghyuck asks, surprised. They argue sometimes, since they’ve been friends so long, but it’s really really rare that it ends up being two against one.

“Yeah,” Taeyong sighs. “They think I’ve been avoiding them, and that it must be because I’m lonely since I’m the only single one.”

Donghyuck winces, glad that Taeyong can’t see his face. “Why do they think you’re avoiding them?” he asks. It’s about the safest thing he can say right now.

“Well, I didn’t go out with them last weekend, you know that,” Taeyong says. “I might have told Johnny I wasn’t feeling well on Saturday, because I felt like staying home with you, seriously. But on Tuesday when I went out for lunch with you and Jeno, Jaehyun tried getting me to meet him for lunch that day too and I obviously said no…” he trails off.

“Uh oh,” Donghyuck says.

“Which was fine,” Taeyong continues, voice rising a little. “But they seemed the most annoyed about Tuesday, which was weird? Like, literally, Jae texted me and asked me about it right as I was leaving work. I probably would have said no even if I hadn’t already made plans with you guys because of how short of notice it would have been. I think he forgot that my lunch break is earlier than his is, normally –”

“Yongie,” Donghyuck interrupts, because Taeyong’s starting to ramble and get himself worked up.

Taeyong exhales heavily. “Sorry,” he says.

“It’s okay,” Donghyuck says, shifting so that he’s no longer sitting on Taeyong’s feet and can hug him instead. It’s a little awkward with Taeyong’s head still on his shoulder, but he doesn’t mind. “Why were they upset about Tuesday?”

“Apparently they decided that since I’m lonely or whatever they needed to set me up with someone Doyoung knows that Jaehyun swears would be perfect for me, but I ruined their plans by not showing up.”

Donghyuck’s jaw drops. “Uh oh,” he manages. It’s not really a response, but Taeyong’s worked up that he doesn’t seem to notice, thank god.

“I wouldn’t have been upset if they had told me what they wanted to do up front,” Taeyong laments. “But I hate that they tried being sneaky about it. Like, okay, maybe it does suck being the only single person I know this time of the year, because it’s like every holiday now has turned into every couple trying to one up each other by being as obnoxiously cute as possible, and it was definitely easier last year before Johnny met Taeil and before Jaehyun and Doyoung were officially dating Jungwoo, but I’m not like miserable or anything. I just needed a break last week. And I – yeah,” he ends abruptly.

Donghyuck feels a little sick to his stomach. It seems that Johnny (because Donghyuck knows this isn’t something Jaehyun would have thought of) had the same idea as Donghyuck and Jaemin had, for the exact same reasons. And if Taeyong had found out about Donghyuck trying to set him up, he probably would have felt even more betrayed. He feels so bad about it that he’s even going to pretend to not notice that Taeyong cut himself off. He’s probably entitled to have a couple secrets right now.

“Yongie, they love you and they just want what’s best for you,” Donghyuck says softly. “I bet if you tell them exactly what you just told me they’ll understand. And I can have Jeno stay away when you’re home for a few days too,” he adds reluctantly. It’s his guilt speaking; he doesn’t want to see Jeno any less, but he doesn’t want to contribute to Taeyong feeling bad, either. He loves Jeno, but he also loves Taeyong, and he knows Taeyong would do literally anything from him. It wouldn’t be that bad of a sacrifice.

Thankfully, though, Taeyong chuckles. “You don’t have to do that,” he says. When Donghyuck glances down at him, he’s smiling. “You know I don’t mind having Jeno around. Doyoung keeps threatening to fight me for custody of him like he’s Jeno’s mom or something instead of his cousin,” and yeah, that sounds exactly like something Doyoung would do. “I’ll talk to them tonight. Thanks, Duckie.”

“Of course,” Donghyuck says weakly.

He still feels like throwing up.

 

***

 

Ten’s behind the counter again on Sunday morning. He’s wearing the reindeer antlers again, but someone’s sewed bells to them in the past week.

“Duckie!” Ten says cheerfully when he spots him. “You’re so late, everyone else is already here. Even my brother in law.”

Donghyuck squints suspiciously at him. He’s never known Ten not to be cheerful, but he seems especially so today. His eyes are alight with happiness, and he was this vague feeling that Ten knows something he doesn’t know. “You’re acting weird,” he accuses.

Ten widens his eyes. “Me?” he says. “Weird? Kun, darling, am I acting weird?” he shouts over his shoulder.

“Not any weirder than normal!” Kun shouts back from the kitchen.

Ten sticks his tongue out at Donghyuck like an overgrown child. “Go sit down. Kun’s getting your stuff ready now.”

Jaemin’s clearly been waiting on Donghyuck to arrive, because he starts wiggling in his seat excitedly while Donghyuck sits down. “I have a new plan,” he says immediately.

“No,” Donghyuck says firmly. “No more plans. Taeyong’s friends were trying to set him up with someone behind his back too, and he was really upset about it. I don’t want to do that to him.”

Renjun says something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like _I told you so_. Donghyuck decides to be the mature one for once and ignores him.

“But they would be perfect together,” Jaemin tries.

“I know,” Donghyuck agrees. “We should still introduce them at some point, but not when we’re trying to be matchmakers.”

Jeno grabs Donghyuck’s hand and interlaces their fingers. “Just have Jaemin bring Yuta to the Christmas party on Saturday like you guys talked about last week,” he says. “That way if they hit it off, it’ll still be before Christmas, but you won’t be forcing anything.”

Jaemin looks disappointed, but he nods. “Only if Hyuck promises to hang mistletoe. Just in case.”

“Fine. I will have Jeno hang some mistletoe,” Donghyuck agrees. “But only if you confirm Yuta’s coming with you on Saturday.”

Jaemin pulls his phone out of his pocket immediately, and Donghyuck watches almost in awe as his fingers fly across the screen. His phone vibrates in his hand almost immediately, and he smiles smugly. “Done.”

“That was fast,” Renjun remarks. “Did you – you did, didn’t you,” he says, sounding resigned.

“Yep,” Jaemin grins. “He owes me one, and now I’m cashing it in.”

“Do I want to know?” Donghyuck asks. The _no_ he gets in response from all three of them simultaneously is loud enough that other customers in the café turn to look at them, and Kun sends a disappointed look their way. Donghyuck decides that yeah, he’s better off leaving that one alone.

 

***

 

Taeyong’s in a better mood on Sunday, thankfully, so Donghyuck assumes that he made up with Johnny and Jaehyun Saturday night like he said he would. It continues throughout the week, even as he starts to visibly stress himself out with trying to plan a perfect party – which is dumb, it’s literally just his friends plus Donghyuck’s friends, everyone would be happy with delivery pizza and a bowl of tacky yet delicious Christmas punch – and doesn’t come home on Thursday night until Donghyuck’s getting ready for bed.

“Where were you?” Donghyuck asks, stepping out into the hallway with his toothbrush still clutched in his hand.

Taeyong looks a little guilty. “Nowhere.”

“Sounds shady.”

“I agree,” Jeno pipes in, still in the bathroom, which visibly startles Taeyong.

“Jeno’s here?” he asks.

“If you had checked your phone you would have seen I texted you and let you know he was spending the night like an hour ago,” Donghyuck says, vaguely accusatory. Because he had; Jeno’s mom is working an overnight shift, and he hadn’t wanted to stay at home in his empty house alone. Donghyuck had decided to give Taeyong a heads up just in case they fell asleep before he got home. Had he gotten home twenty minutes later, they probably would have.

“I got sidetracked,” Taeyong says in what Donghyuck guesses is meant to be an apology. “Well, remember that we have to go to the grocery store bright and early in the morning, Duckie. Jeno is welcome to come too if he’s still here.”

“I remember,” Donghyuck starts.

“Okay, wonderful! Have a good night!” With that, Taeyong practically runs past Donghyuck to his bedroom at the end of the hallway, and closes the door firmly behind him. Donghyuck can only stare after him, jaw dropped.

Jeno coughs from behind him. “That was definitely shady. Wow.”

“No shit,” Donghyuck agrees. _Wow_ is right.

 

***

 

Donghyuck’s in the kitchen with Taeyong and Jungwoo when Jaemin and Renjun arrive fashionably late on Saturday night with Yuta in tow. He hears the knock on the door, hears Jeno open it and welcome them in and tell whoever’s brought snacks where the kitchen is. Donghyuck hopes they got Kun to make something and will only be a little disappointed if they didn’t.

(That’s a lie. He’ll be a lot disappointed if they didn’t.)

“Yuta?” he hears Jaehyun ask. Loudly. And Jaehyun’s not a loud guy, so that’s saying something.

Donghyuck looks up just in time to see Taeyong’s head snap up as well, eyes trained on the kitchen entryway. He seems to be holding his breath.

“Jaehyun? Doyoung? I didn’t expect to see you guys here,” Yuta answers.

“Taeyong’s been one of my best friends since we were kids,” Jaehyun says, sounding confused.

“Taeyong?” Yuta echoes, and Taeyong drops the knife he’s holding. Luckily for them, it lands on the counter with a soft thud and doesn’t roll off onto the ground and put their feet in danger, but it’s such an un-Taeyong like thing to do that Donghyuck’s a little scared.

“Kitchen,” Jeno says. Yuta appears in the entryway a moment later, clutching a bag in his hands that definitely came from Vision, thankfully, and Taeyong audibly lets out the breath he’d been holding.

“What are you doing here?” Taeyong asks, pushing himself away from the counter and taking a step towards Yuta. Yuta, who’d frozen in place when he saw Taeyong in the kitchen.

Yuta chuckles weakly. “I guess my little brother and your little brother are friends,” he says, gesturing behind him in the vague direction of the crowd of people in the living room who are desperately trying to appear uninterested.

“I feel like I should have known that. You both have pink hair,” Taeyong says nonsensically, moving even closer to Yuta. “God. I was so disappointed you couldn’t come tonight, and here you are.”

Wait a second.

“You know each other?” Jaemin blurts, taking the words right out of Donghyuck’s mouth – out of everyone’s mouths, actually, Donghyuck bets.

Yuta smiles widely. “Yeah. We met at Vision last week and hit it off,” he says, shaking his head in disbelief. “Wow.”

That explains why Ten seemed like he knew something Donghyuck didn’t on Sunday, then. _Wow_ is right.

Jeno clears his throat from the living room. “Um, not to alarm you guys, but you’re standing underneath mistletoe, if you want to move?” he says hesitantly. Donghyuck looks up and sure enough, there’s mistletoe hanging directly above Yuta’s head on the doorframe.

God, Donghyuck’s boyfriend is so thoughtful, clearly trying to prevent them from feeling awkward with each other or pressured into anything. It makes him feel a little weak in the knees, and as soon as Yuta and Taeyong move out of the way, he’s definitely going to make Jeno show him where else he hung some mistletoe, just for an excuse to kiss him silly in front of everyone. He takes a step forward when Taeyong does, but – Taeyong’s not moving away from the doorway. He steps into Yuta’s personal space instead, and – and –

Holy shit, that is _not_ a kiss between two people who are kissing for the first time, and Donghyuck kind of feels like he needs to cover his eyes or something. He’s stunned speechless, but he seems to be the only one judging from the cheering and wolf whistles that spill out of the living room (and next to him, even, because Jungwoo’s shrieking so loud that Donghyuck thinks he might go deaf).

“I like you a lot, if you can’t tell,” Taeyong says when he and Yuta finally break apart. Donghyuck clutches his chest in delight.

“It’s mutual,” Yuta grins, and Donghyuck feels so happy that he’s slightly afraid he might explode from it. He just hopes that someone in the living room managed to catch all of that on camera, because there’s no way Mark’s going to believe what just happened without video evidence.

(Serves him right for abandoning Donghyuck for stupid cold Canada, honestly.)

 

***

 

But if Donghyuck thought that finding out that Taeyong had actually met Yuta on his own and even gone out on a secret date with him would be the best thing that happened tonight, he was totally wrong. Or rather, Jeno proves him wrong when he pulls him into his own bedroom later on once everyone’s settled down. There aren’t enough seats for everyone in the living room, but no one seems to mind. Donghyuck had been sprawled on the floor with Jeno leaning against him before he’d been tugged to his feet, but several others had opted for sitting in someone else’s lap (or laps, not that Donghyuck blames Jungwoo one bit).

No one notices them leave, Donghyuck thinks, too distracted by trying to convince Renjun to call Sicheng to see if he, Ten, and Kun can come by once they close Vision for the night.

Once Donghyuck’s door is closed behind them, Jeno grabs both of Donghyuck’s hands. He looks a little nervous, Donghyuck realizes, which doesn’t make sense.

“I wanted to wait a couple more days for this, but I can’t do it,” Jeno says.

Donghyuck feels his heart jump into his throat. “Oh,” he says quietly, looking down at their connected hands. Is this – Jeno wouldn’t break up with him out of the blue like this, with their friends and some of their family right on the other side of the door, would he?

“Hyuckie, look at me,” Jeno says gently. When Donghyuck does, he’s smiling, and his eyes are so full of love that he immediately wants to kick himself for doubting what they have for even a second. “I love you. I thought it was about time I told you.”

Tears spring to Donghyuck’s eyes so quickly it catches him off guard. “I love you too,” he answers, not caring that tears spill out. Jeno lets go of one of his hands to brush them away, then leans down to kiss him. It’s short, short and sweet, but it means everything to Donghyuck in this moment that he already knows he’ll never, ever forget.

“Merry Christmas,” Jeno says, still gently, when the kiss ends just as softly as it began.

“Merry Christmas,” Donghyuck says. “I love you,” he adds, just because he can, and he’s rewarded by Jeno’s face lighting up.

“I love you too.”

He hears Jaemin shriek in the hallway then – apparently their absence hadn’t gone unnoticed, and they’ve probably just been overheard. Sure enough, he hears footsteps thundering down the hall a moment later, and he just _knows_ his door’s about to swing open, but he doesn’t mind. How could he mind, at a moment like this?”

“Best Christmas ever,” Jeno murmurs into his hair.

Yeah, Donghyuck thinks, humming happily to himself. It really, really is.


	2. bonus scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> how Taeyong met Yuta.

Taeyong doesn’t know why he’s here.

He’d been pleasantly surprised to learn that the café that Donghyuck’s friends own was only a ten minute walk away from his office, but that alone shouldn’t be enough for him to come back after work today. The sandwich he’d had for lunch had been great as well, but again, not reason enough for him to be back five hours later. Especially since the lunch hours are surely long over with by now. But he’d passed it on his drive home like he had every day before without even realizing it and felt compelled to stop.

The café’s crowded when Taeyong walks in for the second time that day, a buzz in the air that hadn’t been there during lunch. The bright, bubbly Christmas songs that were playing earlier have been replaced by something more traditional, but they’re barely audible above the noise of the crowd. Taeyong almost turns around and walks back out, but Ten sees him from behind the counter where he’s working to fill orders alongside a man Taeyong assumes must be his other partner and a teenager Taeyong doesn’t recognize, and waves enthusiastically. Now that he’s been spotted, it would be rude for him to leave without at least ordering _something_ , so Taeyong gets in line.

“It’s a little overwhelming, isn’t it?” a voice says from behind him. Taeyong turns around, intending to nod politely and maybe say something like _yeah, it really is_. Some basic, boring platitude that would end the conversation before it could begin.

Instead, he’s struck dumb by the sight of maybe the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen smiling warmly at him. His hair is a bright, vaguely familiar pink, and Taeyong kind of wants to touch it.

“It’s only my second time here,” he blurts out before he can stop himself, hoping it’ll be enough for the gorgeous man to keep talking to him. Luckily for Taeyong, it is.

“Oh, man,” the man says, his eyes widening. “Have you tried the coffee yet? Any of the pastries?”

“I’ve heard the pineapple buns are good,” Taeyong tries, remembering what Jeno had said that morning. “I only had a sandwich and some tea when I was here before, though.”

The man shakes his head. “Oh, man,” he repeats. “Okay. Prepare to have your mind blown. I can’t believe you haven’t even tried a pastry yet. If you came here with someone before, they did you wrong,” he says seriously.

“I’ll be sure to let them know sometime,” Taeyong says. He feels the urge to laugh. He doesn’t know why, but he does.

“Tell you what,” the man says. “I’ll order you something I think you’ll really enjoy, on me, if you stick around afterwards while you try it so you can tell me what you think about it.” He looks so hopeful, so beautiful with the last of the afternoon sun shining behind him like a halo, that Taeyong couldn’t say no even if he tried.

“On one condition,” Taeyong says.

“Anything.”

“You tell me your name.”

The man’s smile shifts into something Taeyong can’t name but makes his heart race anyway. “Deal. It’s Yuta.”

“Yuta,” Taeyong echoes. “It’s nice to meet you, Yuta. I’m Taeyong.”

“Get ready to have your mind blown,” Yuta promises, and Taeyong thinks that he already has.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, outlining this fic: oh this will probably be 3-4k tops
> 
> me, after finishing this fic: nvm
> 
> i hope you enjoyed it! come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/zeromiles5) or [cc](https://curiouscat.me/zeromiles5) if you're so inclined, and i hope you all have a absolutely wonderful holiday season if you celebrate!


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